A woman’s body can change drastically after giving birth, and many might feel pressure to look the same way they did before the birth. According to a survey from The Mental Health Foundation, 41% of women feel more negative about their bodies after giving birth.
Support from partners on this issue might be crucial postpartum, but some spouses make it even worse. This husband, for example, felt it was okay to tell his wife to “try harder” to lose weight four months after giving birth. After the two got into a fight about it, the new mom went to look for support online.
A husband thought his wife wasn’t losing weight as fast as he would like four months after giving birth
Image credits: rawpixel.com (not the actual image)
His wife had to school him about the fact that she can’t just magically lose the baby weight
Image credits: Dazzling-Shopping937 (not the actual image)
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual image)
Image credits: Dazzling-Shopping937
Exercising too soon after giving birth can result in serious health issues
There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to get back in shape after giving birth. In fact, doctors might even encourage physical activity after pregnancy, as it can relieve stress, promote better sleep, and reduce symptoms of postpartum depression.
However, new mothers should do so only if they want it themselves and do so at a moderate pace. As experts at John Hopkins note, it’s normal to retain around 10-15 pounds of extra weight in the months after giving birth. And it’s imperative to wait at least six to eight weeks after the birth to start any kind of rigorous physical activity.
Personal trainer and birth doula Laura Jawad writes that the possible risks of exercising too soon are not only delayed healing and exhaustion. One of the most common issues postpartum women face is pelvic organ prolapse. Exercising too soon can exacerbate the issue, as pelvic floor and core muscles are stretched, strained, and vulnerable as it is.
Diastasis recti is another condition that strenuous exercise might worsen. It’s when abdominal muscles separate to make room for the baby and don’t knit back together right after the birth. It takes around 6-8 weeks to heal, but if moms put too much pressure on working out their abs before that, they might exacerbate the separation.
Musculoskeletal injuries can also happen more easily right after having a baby. New moms might cause damage to their joints and tissues if they take up rigorous exercise like running. “You’re going to have various muscle imbalances, reduced stability around your pelvis, a central stability system (your core and pelvic floor muscles) that’s not ready for load,” Laura Jawad explains.
For moms who crave the workouts, it’s better to choose moderate, low-impact exercises. And for those who simply don’t feel like it, there shouldn’t be any pressure.
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Negative body image can be a cause for postpartum depression
In a culture that’s obsessed with appearances and thinness, it can be hard for new mothers to maintain a positive body image. Nevertheless, it’s crucial for the mother’s well-being, as research shows that dissatisfaction with body image contributes significantly to postpartum depression.
There is societal pressure for women to ‘bounce back’ after giving birth. When we see celebrities like Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, or Serena Williams get their pre-baby bodies back just a few months after giving birth, we expect other women to do it too.
But that’s not realistic, to say the least. Even Betty Chou, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins, says that comparing new mothers to celebrities is unrealistic. “[They] have personal trainers and personal chefs. Your body changes over time; it takes a while to get close to your prepregnancy shape and size.”
Fitness instructor Darian Healy, who specializes in prenatal and postpartum training, says that a number on a scale is a flawed metric of health. Just because you weigh a certain amount of pounds, doesn’t mean you’re necessarily healthy.
New mothers shouldn’t be encouraged to ‘bounce back’ after giving birth, especially by their partners. “Your body is now tasked with feeding that baby, healing from the birth process, holding and carrying the baby, and doing all of that while getting very little sleep,” Healy writes.
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
People in the comments called the husband a walking red flag: “He is not concerned about your health, only about whether you’re attractive to him”
The post Husband Demands Wife Go To Gym 12 Weeks After Giving Birth: “Tighten My Tummy Again” first appeared on Bored Panda.
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